Perspective and Principle
by AleatoryW
Summary: Bounty hunter Asajj Ventress finds her old enemy Kenobi badly wounded, but things are not as they seem. He has no memory of her, and with his life slipping away, she wants answers. But the person who holds them isn't on the best of terms with her- and he's just as confused as she. Rated T for violence/horribly wounded Kenobi. Ventures into many genres. R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

**I don't even know what genre to label this one. It's definite hurt/comfort, but there's also a bit of romance thrown in there- Asajj/Obi-wan and Asajj/OC. There's a trace of humor, and there's some sort of speculative moral questioning stuff- about clones and their creation/use. There's also some "awe/wonder"- that of someone introduced to good things for the first time. Oh and some angst and some betrayal and some brotherly love. So, have at it- this is going to be quite the emotional ride. ((If it all comes out right.))**

**Asajj Ventress, Obi-wan Kenobi, and anyone else we may encounter are not mine. I make no claim to them, I only wish to borrow them for the purposes of making this monstrosity. Enjoy.**

* * *

Ventress had admittedly never thought about what it was other bounty hunters did in their spare time. Why would she? There was no real need for communication among the group she was now a part of- no one talked. There was no need.

Asajj Ventress preferred it that way.

Her past wasn't _quite_ a mess, but not exactly a standard childhood, either. She didn't have much for a personal life- she had lived on a battleship for years. In all honesty, not much to talk about with anyone, and she didn't particularly care to hear anything about the other's lives either. Obnoxious bounty hunters who occasionally tried flirtation on her and were instantly scarred for life- literally-, arrogant bounty hunters who she knew would be captured, killed, or otherwise gone within weeks, and the occasional official or bartender were the only occupants of her life.

So when she discovered a hulking ship sitting outside the local cantina that served as haunt for most of the decent warriors, she barely gave it a second glance. So someone new was around- he'd be gone before long, or else prove himself. Or herself, but that was unlikely.

Then she took a second glance. Faded and partially scratched off the side of the ship was a Separatist symbol. What would a separatist ship be doing on a wasteland like Tattooiene? Surely there was nothing here they could want, unless some bounty hunter had really ticked them off. They couldn't know she was here- could they? There was one easy way to find out what they were after. She used the Force to ease open the door, and slipped in, closing it behind her.

From the looks of it, the ship was in need of a good deal of maintenance- perhaps it was lost, way out in the outer rim. They were droids, naturally stupid, and she wouldn't be surprised. Sure enough, the last assignment in the computer system was from over two standard years ago. They couldn't be looking for her then; she could leave.

And yet Asajj was curious. The cockpit held no answers, but the back rooms of the ship might. Since whatever droids remained of this bunch had left, she decided to do a bit of poking around. A few rooms, which opened easily, held nothing of interest- storage, an engine room, and an empty space, where droids would stay when the ship was in flight. However, there was one more room, this one locked.

She slowly twirled the lock with the force, feeling where it should stop and where it should begin again. As the door swung slowly open, Asajj thought she'd be prepared for whatever it was, dangerous, disgusting, or otherwise.

She was wrong, wrong to the point of ridiculous.

It was a standard prison cell, like any other- a long chain connected to the wrist of a crumpled form, barely illuminated by the dim light coming in the door, the standard reek of a never cleaned room, and the filth and grime along the walls. She herself had spent time in worse or similar conditions, and wrinkled her nose at the scent. It wasn't the condition of the cell that terrified her, however. It was the occupant.

Lying in the cell on his side, naked, covered in open, infected wounds, and chained up- as though he had some ambition to go anywhere- was Obi-wan Kenobi.

There was definitely no mistaking him. The hair, though filthy, still held the red hue she knew well, and his jaw, though his beard was no more than stubble, held a distinctive curve. His legs were pulled up to his chest, and, glancing down, she saw that the muscle he'd once had was wasted away under his torn skin. The Jedi was no more than a skeleton's width, and his chained arm hung awkwardly, the shoulder joint dislocated. The sight alone would have been enough to rouse pity in even she, especially considering that this was a man she knew, who had exchanged banter with her only two standard weeks ago, when they'd fought side by side.

But this wasn't what made his sudden appearance so disturbing to her. She'd been on this ship several minutes now, and in the nearby cantina for twice as long. So why had she not felt him? His Force presence was a familiar and strong one, and no measly ship wall should have prevented her from feeling him. Even now, standing over him, he seemed to be dead in the Force, with only a dormant signature, although the slow in and out of his sides let her know that he was not only alive, but perhaps even conscious.

Asajj sighed. Of all the things to stumble onto, a moral dilemma was the last she needed. It was not right to leave the Jedi in this condition; he'd die, and in all honesty Asajj didn't know how he'd made it this far. Yet, it was risky- no droids could have done this someone else had brought Kenobi here. And it left her with another pesky question in her mind- if it was anyone else, and not the merciful general she'd come to know so well, would she do the same?

She brushed the question away and instead leaned down and touched his bare shoulder. A shiver went through his body, but it seemed more involuntary than anything else. She shook him lightly, and to her surprise, his face tilted upwards, and his eyes opened.

His eyes were as dead as his Force-presence, as though this weren't even Obi-wan. Even under torture, Kenobi always seemed so… _alive. _She couldn't say he gazed in level defiance, but he certainly didn't have this lifeless look of pain, sadness, and… _confusion? _It wasn't quite confusion even- confusion implied a question, and the desire for an answer. This look held a question, but didn't seem to care whether or not it was ever answered.

Which was why she was surprised when he spoke: "Ooeru?" The voice was so choppy and rough she barely understood. She crouched lower, so her face was nearer to his.

"Sorry?"

"Who are you?" It was clearer now, but held the same flat, uncaring tones. So he didn't recognize her? That was new- she'd known the man for years, and she wasn't someone he vaguely knew but never paid attention to. Then again, one was probably prone to a bit of amnesia when one was in a place like this.

"Asajj." She said slowly. There was simply no way she could leave this pathetic form here, not now. Not ever. "My name is Asajj. Do you remember me?"

He didn't answer, but she understood that he didn't remember her, or much of anything else, for that matter. "Come on then, you. Stand up."

He didn't answer- in fact he closed his eyes again.

"Get up, stupid, I'm trying to rescue you." Asajj really didn't know how to be… comforting, and his refusal to co-operate, along with her overall confusion on the whole situation was making her cross. How could Obi-wan Kenobi, who longed for her redemption and perhaps even her friendship forget completely who she was? Worse still, what could break his spirit so thoroughly that he refused to even attempt escape?

"Come _on." _She whipped off her cloak and wrapped it around his frame as best as she could, removed the cuff from his wrist, then levitated him, his bony arms dangling uselessly.

"Wha…" he started, but never finished. Finally he managed, "Why?" Not 'where' or 'who', as she thought he'd ask, but why.

"Cos you're a mess. You and I have a bit of a history for saving each other's necks, although you seem to have forgotten it." She brought him into her own ship- where else could she take him? She laid him on the floor, set co-ordinates and took off, then finally kneeled next to him. "How long have you been there?"

He looked puzzled again for a moment, as though he weren't quite sure what to say. Finally he came up with, "Weeks."

"You're-" She stopped. She'd been about to say 'lying'. Perhaps, with his amnesia, he honestly believed he'd been down there weeks. Years, even. "You're mistaken."

He shook his head weakly, but didn't respond, which was so out of character it reminded her that this wasn't just Kenobi, it was horribly wounded, amnesia-ed, Force-presence-less Kenobi. Poor thing. Asajj lifted him to her bed, trying to cover up most of him with her cloak. Where were his robes? You'd think there'd be a few shreds left. It wasn't all adding up. Perhaps, when the redhead was conscious again, she could speak with him, as he'd drifted back into the state she'd found him in. He wouldn't be much better off here if she didn't do anything to care for him, so she treated the worst, most obvious wounds. The rest, Asajj decided, could wait.

That night, in the cockpit, Ventress couldn't help thinking about what she was supposed to do with the man lying on her bed. She couldn't return him to the Republic, certainly- they were as much after her as the Separatists. And the Separatists didn't even realize they'd ever had Kenobi captured- they still had a large bounty on his head. Whoever caught Kenobi hadn't reported it. But what sort of Separatist agent would not report the capture of such an important man? It couldn't have been droids on that ship- droids were programmed to keep prisoners in reasonable health. Asajj sighed in frustration once more. It didn't make sense. Perhaps she'd get more answers when the Jedi awoke.

* * *

Kenobi had been waiting, but certainly not for what had happened last night. He had been waiting for death. It was a foggy concept to him, but from his vague knowledge, it would be better than what he lived. There was so little in his life- the cell, his daily meal, and the man. Kenobi never even knew the man's name, or why his job was to torture him. That was a word, yes? Torture? Pain was the other daily event in his life, inflicted by the broad-shouldered man. But today, his daily rhythm was being thrown off. When he finally awoke, there was a woman crouched near him, the same woman he remembered from last night. Her skin was paler than his, with no hair on her head. Rather, she had choppy purple markings on her face and head; her eyes were blue. As strange as it seemed, he couldn't remember seeing the color blue before… and yet he knew, sure as anything, that the color in her eyes was blue. She was beautiful.

"So, the great Jedi awakens?" Her voice was… he didn't know the word, but it was sort of amused, sort of snappish. He'd been called Jedi before, and was beginning to wonder if it was his name.

"Why am I here?" Speech was unfamiliar, but came naturally to him, as though he were made for it.

"What, you want to go back?" Asajj asked, the same tone in her voice.

"No!" He exclaimed, more forcefully than he'd meant to. "Unless…" He didn't quite know all the words he wanted. Unless she would be worse than where he'd come from.

"Good. Why don't you sit up?" He started to push aside the cloth loosely wrapped over his torso, but she stopped him. "Actually don't. You're naked. Not that I'd object, but I imagine you'd blush quite a bit." One side of her mouth twitched upward.

"I blush?"

She laughed. He remembered laughter, but it had always been a cold, cruel laughter, made out of enjoyment of his pain. This was… not exactly kind, but more amused. "You don't remember? You blush more than anyone I've ever known."

"Oh."

"So, answer me this- what the _hoth_ happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Last time I saw you, you looked fine. Then I find you like this. Who had you?"

He frowned slightly. "I've never seen you before in my life." He paused, then looked at her. "Am I dead?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Dead?"

"Did I finally die?" There was a certain emotionless tone in his voice that was almost eerie. "I heard once that when you die, you go to a place where there's an end to pain. And there are beautiful people there, that talk to you and don't hurt you. Angels." Suddenly there was expression in his eyes- hope, as he asked again, "Am I dead?"

**That's all I have right now, but when I get around to it I'll write up a bit more. This idea just came to me a few days ago, and there was no way I was going to let it slip away! Obi-wan probably seems out of character right now, but it'll all be cleared up later- probably a third of the way into the story or so. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two- sorry for the wait, I've been cooking up a humorous one-shot about Obi-wan and Anakin. Also, expect a lot of Tuesday updates. Tuesday is the new Saturday, for me at least.**

* * *

Asajj heaved a sigh. There were two options at this point- Kenobi was delusional, or… Kenobi was delusional. Too much time locked away, too many near-death ventures. "Look, Kenobi, do you even remember who you are?"

"I'm Kenobi, obviously."

She bit back an obnoxious reply. "Yes, you're _Kenobi. _But do you remember anything about yourself?" At least his dry sense of humor remained.

"I did something wrong, horribly wrong. But I don't remember it." He paused. Words were still such an effort for him, although his eyes seemed more alive than they had when she'd found him. "I am a human." There was another lengthy pause, but this one wasn't to catch his breath; he was thinking. "I'm told I am pathetic. I don't know if it's true. But tell me, am I dead?"

"Persistent." Ventress muttered under her breath. "Why do you keep asking if you're… dead?" Surely he had to know he wasn't. Then again, he didn't know who she was, or even who _he _was.

"They never let me die." He whispered.

"What do you mean, _they? _Who had you, and what did they want?"

"I don't know. Always this man, and occasionally another."

"What did they want from you? How did they keep you alive?" Asajj's voice grew sharp involuntarily, and she tried to stop herself. He was traumatized enough without her making it worse.

"They would inject me, and I would keep living. Keep _feeling." _The poor Jedi stopped, breathing in ragged breaths. "They didn't want anything. He was… punishing me."

"But for _what? _When did they capture you, how?" Ventress pressed.

Kenobi shook his head weakly, lying it back down on the pillow. The woman standing over him sighed again. Trying to get anything more out of him would be useless. She lay one hand on his forehead gently, but retracted it quickly, nose wrinkled in disgust. His hair was matted with blood and filth- mostly blood. His face was little better.

Answers… where could she get answers? The whole situation was driving her crazy- the way he appeared out of nowhere as hurt as this, the way he remembered nothing, and, right now, the question of how to get him cleaned up, and get him some decent clothing. Most of her clothing was more shaped to a woman's figure, although he was skinny enough to fit in almost anything. Finally she settled on a looser fitting shirt and trousers, and decided to wash him off as best she could. He'd drifted back into a level of semi-unconsciousness, so she took the opportunity to treat his wounds again, including a fairly nasty cut on his forehead and cheek. Perhaps the blow that had caused this cut had also taken his memory…

Either way, the best place to go for a few inside answers on a Jedi was Corausant. As dangerous as the place was to a fugitive, it was where she was headed. There were places where all sorts of criminal activity went on, right under the noses of thousands of police droids and Jedi.

Or… Or she could hand him over to the Temple. Leave him somewhere and send them a message. But leaving him alone seemed risky- what if they didn't show up? Or, worse still, if they somehow connected this all to her and blamed her for the attacks on him. Force knew Skywalker would personally track her down and slit her throat for it. No, she'd hang on to him, for now. And besides, she was curious… and feeling pity, which wasn't something she usually did.

Coordinates set, Asajj sat down in the pilot's seat, hoping to perhaps catch a bit of sleep on the flight. This hope was short lived, because her... patient abruptly shouted 'no!', causing her to stand up in alarm.

"What? What's happened?" She asked, moving towards him, then stopped. He seemed perfectly calm, looking up at her with sleepy eyes. "What the hoth are you thinking?" She demanded, needing an explanation for his outburst. She quieted when he cringed away from her. Touchy. She tried again.

"Why did you call me?"

"M'sorry." He mumbled. "I was talking in my sleep."

"Great. Just great." She said to herself, turning away from where he lay _on her bed, none the less, _"Not only is he delusional and clueless, he also talks in his sleep. Glad to know I'll be getting none myself."

"I'll stay awake." He offered quietly.

"No, it's…" She trailed off, regretting losing her temper. "It's not your fault. Go to sleep." She glanced back at him in time to see him nod solemnly and then lay his head on the pillow and close his eyes.

He was going to have a nice scar on his face. Healing technology was pretty good on Corausant, but faces were always tricky and never worked out how they should. That somehow made another jolt of anger seer through her chest. She should have stayed and found out who it was that had done this to the Jedi. They'd ruined his handsome face.

Dear Force, what was wrong with her, even _thinking _that?

* * *

Several hours later, Asajj hadn't managed to get much sleep, and apparently, neither had the Jedi, as he kept mumbling and crying out in his sleep. She'd almost learned to stop listening to what he said- it was chilling at times, although it was mainly mumbles of "no" and "why". Once he'd said "What did I do? What?" in a delirious voice before drifting back off.

So when he asked softly if she was awake, she ignored him.

He asked again. "You awake?"

"You're talking to me?"

"Who else would I talk to?" he asked, with a look of complete innocence- and the tiniest hint of amusement behind it.

"Nevermind. I'm awake, as you can see."

"I hate to be a bother, but could I eat something?" There was more strength in his voice than there had been when she found him, but he still looked rather pathetic, although she guessed he was getting a bit of his dignity back and wouldn't want to be told that.

"Sure. Help yourself." It was a test- to see if he'd try to do something for himself, and to see if he could stand.

There was quiet as he pulled himself up, standing for the first time. He was shaky, but kept on his feet… until he suddenly clasped his hand over his side and doubled over, sitting back on the bed. As she'd half suspected, he had at least one broken rib. "This isn't working." He muttered, gingerly prodding his ribs.

"What am I going to do with you, Kenobi?" She asked, more to herself than to him. There was nowhere she could take him to get him healed up, which meant she'd have to try herself, although she had what was needed to heal wounds, not set bones. Unless…

A memory drifted back to her, of Ky Narec, practically _holding_ the bones of his elbow in place with his other hand. He'd taught her how to mend bones so she could patch him up, and though she hadn't done the best job, it had held him together until he was strong enough to heal himself.

However, that had been before she'd turned dark. Healing, especially something as complex as setting bones, required a strong power in the light side of the Force. Currently, she was using the gray area- neither light nor dark, good nor evil, and not as powerful as either.

"Alright Kenobi, want to try something?"

"Something being defined as…?"

"I'm going to try to heal your rib. It'll hurt, and it'll be tiring. Can you handle that?"

He avoided the question. "How are you going to… heal it?"

"I'll manipulate the midi-chlorians in your body to-"

"Midi-what?"

Oh yes, that was right. He had no idea what the Force was. "Little living particles in your blood. The level you have decides if you're Force-sensitive or not, although I suppose you don't know what that is."

"No. I know what the Force is. I think… I think I've almost felt it, sometimes."

"You're ridiculously Force-sensitive. You just seem to have forgotten how to use that." She paused. "I'm going to try setting your rib by controlling your midi-chlorians. It'll hurt. Like Hoth."

A shiver ran through his body, but he responded calmly: "Ok."

Asajj started out with the gray area of the Force, drawing a bit of strength and trying to connect herself to his midi-chlorians. And then she tried to pull on the light side. It rejected her, refusing to give the strength she needed. "Come _on," _she hissed. "Think of Kenobi." At her words, she could feel the Force relenting, allowing her to draw some small amount of power. She followed the same advice, concentrating entirely on how she needed him healed.

Kenobi groaned slightly, his hand trying to push hers away from his side, but she swatted it away. It was barely working, and she needed to concentrate. Perhaps she was looking at this the wrong way. Perhaps she should be looking at it not in terms of a simple matter of convenience, but the way she had looked at it when she'd healed Ky all those years ago- as a matter of caring for the person lying wounded before her.

That time it had been involuntary, the caring. He was her Master, so of course she cared about seeing him healed. Now she was trying to shy away from any feelings of that sort, especially while healing- wasn't that the opposite of the light side? Weren't the Jedi taught to avoid caring for other people, to look at them all as equal, the way one might look at a handful of numbers?

The Jedi mumbled something, but didn't try to push her off this time. The small jolt of affection she felt gave her more strength, and to her surprise, the more she focused on that emotion, on _caring, _the more she could feel power flowing through her and into his wound.

Within a minute from that point, it was done. The bone was knit into place- clumsily, but well enough for it to hold up and eventually heal itself closed. Releasing the energy from the Force, Asajj felt weak and light headed, and collapsed on the bed beside him. She'd done it. She'd done something very difficult that she hadn't in so long, and the familiar drained feeling was wonderful because of it.

"Thank you." There was another new emotion on his face now, one of awe, although she wasn't sure if it was because of the wonder at having his ribs healed or at having a person heal rather than hurt him.

"I'm going to sleep." Was her only reply. "Tell me if anything happens." She made a vague gesturing motion towards the cockpit and then lay down, hoping a brief nap would restore her energy.

"You are…" He began, but then trailed off, and she could swear she saw a hint of a blush on his pale, narrow face. _There _was the Kenobi she knew. The one who had barely been able to thank her for saving his life a few weeks ago, who had blushed like mad when she'd kissed him.

"I'm what?" Pressing him was always fun, but this time, he relented and told her what he had begun without much of a struggle.

"You are very kind." Admittedly, no one had ever called her _kind _before, and she rather hoped no one would ever again. But right now, she liked to hear it from him.

Ventress didn't respond, letting herself drift off towards sleep. The Jedi laid his hand gently on top of hers, saying softly, "And I think I like kindness."

**You know that feeling when you're doing calculus and you can literally feel the energy being sucked from your brain, but then you get a 100 on a quiz and the tired is somehow satisfying? No? Just me? I imagine that's what Force-healing feels like. **

**The next chapter or so is going to be mostly this stuff- Kenobi all wounded and pathetic, and the two of them being all disgustingly adorable. Fluff/post-whumpage ahoy. Also, I'd like you guys to be brutally honest with me- do you feel like the overall tone of this is too slow? It's a bit slower than what I normally write for these two, but with Obi sort of off his game, banter isn't working as it should. Let me know- if the overwhelming response is that it's dragging horribly, I'll try to speed up the plot.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Be warned- lots of drabbly emotional inner though ahead, for the both of them. I promise some more dialogue and even action next chapter, but for now enjoy ((or despise)) the inner workings of Asajj and Obi-wan's minds, and Obi-wan's experience with stars and who he is.**

* * *

She woke just over an hour later, feeling her energy restored and once again part of her. _ Took me a full hour- pitiful. I'm really off my game. _ Having used nothing but the dark side for so long, and then only the neutral grey, it was hard to get used to using light again. And she'd cheated, hadn't she? She'd drawn on emotions, on caring, which was the opposite of what the Jedi were supposed to use. Speaking of Jedi…

She glanced across the space, to where Kenobi was seated in the co-pilot's chair, watching the windshield intently. It certainly drew back memories, and recent ones at that. She'd been forced to rescue him before, when Maul and Savage had wanted him dead. The two of them had barely managed to escape alive. He hadn't been what had brought her there- she'd been chasing after Savage, hoping to get the bounty placed on his head. Instead she'd found a crazed half brother- not that they were half-brothers, but that he was literally half of Savage's brother- who had a long backstory with Kenobi and a strong desire to see the Jedi dead.

She remembered his startled look when he awoke to see her. There had been a bit of delight mixed in before he'd started slipping back into his witty composed self. It was nice, that someone reacted positively upon seeing her. She'd been without allies for so long, she was almost beginning to forget any inkling she'd ever had of teamwork. She and Kenobi were surprisingly good at it, considering they'd once fought each other. There was a wordless connection between them as they covered each other's backs, and worked out a decent survival plan. She'd loaned him her saber, as well. That was a first for her- no one had used either of those sabers but her since she'd begun training with them. It was almost a sign of… trust.

And speaking of trust, he barely flinched when she crossed the ship and laid her hand on his shoulder. Looking down at his face, despite all the cuts and bruises, she could see a look of awe and wonder. The Jedi was gazing at the stars hurtling past their windshield as they flew towards Corausant. His eyes seemed to catch each sphere, looking at it, wide-eyed as though he'd never seen such beauty before, and then release it to look at the next, taking in the color and light. Finally he looked up at her, eyes beautifully lit up.

"Are these stars?"

She paused, unsure of how to answer in a way that would fit the majesty of the moment- of Kenobi seeing stars again. "They're stars." She answered at last.

They watched stars go past that way for several minutes. Her hand hadn't left his shoulder, which probably set a record for how long she'd allowed anyone to touch her. Somehow, through his eyes, she was seeing the stars anew again too. They had a new sparkle that she hadn't stopped to look at since she first entered space travel, over ten standard years ago. She'd been hurtling through space so long, she'd stopped _looking. _And Kenobi could see it. _  
_

She slowly looked away, subtly letting her gaze rest on his face. Although he wasn't much to look at now, she'd let herself become attracted to the man, or at least to the man she knew. With his beard left as stubble, and messy stubble at that, his face looked much younger than she knew him to be. At the same time, however, there were grey streaks in his ginger hair, which was matted and not arranged how it should be. Although the distance from shoulder to shoulder was as it should be, there was little muscle left under his skin, and even her shirt hung loosely over his frame. Poor thing. She knew he wouldn't want her pity, but she felt it anyway.

"Asajj?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you find me?" he asked, looking up at her face. Somehow, even though he wasn't trying to express it, there was a certain innocence in his eyes.

"It was… something of a lucky accident."

He shivered, and she felt his shoulder quake under her palm. "It was the most wonderful accident in the galaxy."

"I thought you wanted die there." Asajj remarked.

"And not meet you? And see stars?" He glanced up at her, his hollow face illuminated by starlight. "No. I've changed my mind. You've changed it." He was so beautiful, in both his suddenly lively eyes and in what lay beneath them. For the first time, Asajj thought he looked… alive.

* * *

Obi-wan couldn't help it. He was starting to feel emotions again- or was it for the first time? It felt that way, although he'd once been a normal person, before his loss of memory. He'd been a Force-user.

Something about that term snapped in place in his mind- hadn't he heard of the Jedi, an order of powerful Force-users? Of course that was why he was called 'Jedi'- it wasn't who he was, but _what _he was! As he thought of the term in this way, it seemed to unlock loads of information he must have heard before- Jedi were Force-users, who worked to keep peace in the galaxy. They were fighting in a war just now, the great Clone Wars that swept the world.

But if he was a Jedi, then his new-found wonder and, perhaps, affection were wrong. Inexcusable. He would have to give them up, and go back to how he had felt before- empty. He didn't want that hollow feeling back, now that he knew what it was to feel. He could not give up caring for his rescuer. Asajj was the only person he'd ever known, and yet, somehow, he was convinced she was the most wonderful person there was.

There was a nagging doubt in the back of his mind, beyond even this worry of being an emotionless Jedi. Asajj, who had shown him so much kindness, knew him. Would she treat him the same if he were a stranger? Because to him, that was what she was- a stranger.

She knew him more than he knew himself, really. It was strange, in a way, not even knowing what sort of man he was. And… what his relationship to her was. Were they friends? She certainly didn't treat him like an acquaintance, although he really didn't know what friendship was. The way she spoke sometimes… made it seem like she was almost… a lover.

He shook the idea away at once. He was a Jedi. But then again… was he the kind of man who would break the rules for her? He of course couldn't remember what sort of man he'd been, but he couldn't even decide what sort of man he was _now. _If he would break rules, rules that he wasn't sure applied to him, for a woman he'd only just met and wasn't sure even cared for him much.

He was definitely overthinking this. Then again, he'd never had much to think about before. And the topic of who he was- and how Asajj saw him- was worth a long train of thought. Perhaps even several.

**Obi-wan's questions of who he is are based slightly off the idea of regeneration as shown in Doctor Who- when a Time Lord regenerates, they know nothing about their new regeneration- who they are, what they are like, and so on. Intriguing, yes? Doctor Who also inspired the comments about Asajj learning to see things through Obi-wan's inexperienced eyes: The Doctor brings companions because to them the universe he knows is new and wonderful. Expect more of this sentiment throughout, as Asajj starts to see and Obi-wan starts to learn X3**


	4. Chapter 4

**I must apologize to all of you, probably not for the first OR last time, sadly. This chapter proved very difficult to write... and I turned into a horribly lazy person while at university. Normally my laziness inspires creativity- and it did, just creativity to work on blogs and artwork and songwriting instead of fanfiction. But I will attempt to have the next bit done in a week- next bit is the good bit. I mean, the _really _good bit, that reveals the main plot twist. Anyway, I'll just leave this chapter here to placate you readers.**

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They'd found a parking space of sorts on Corausant- a place to land the ship and spend the night, although on a place like Corausant, one really couldn't tell the difference between night and day. There were so many buildings, buildings on buildings on buildings, that one could barely see the sky, and that sky was gray with cloud cover, moisture with nowhere left to go, since most of the lakes had been filled in and built on, and there wasn't a spot of bare ground that hadn't been blacktopped. At night, there were so many streetlights, that the same dim color surrounded everything. Why _anyone _lived here, Asajj didn't know. The Temple had been here before the planet was like this, and Asajj suspected it was the only reason the entire Order didn't leave. There was no life Force here. Despite the billions of people milling about the streets, the place felt dead.

It was odd, Asajj thought, how she'd felt so much more life before, when it had been her, Kenobi, and stars. Out among those globes of fire felt more alive than this rock ever had- although she may have been remembering the stars that shown in the Jedi's eyes.

"If anyone knows anything about a missing Jedi," Asajj interrupted her own disgustingly sentimental thoughts to speak to the man gazing out at the planet around them, "They'll be here. The higher class cantinas."

"Higher class?"

One corner of her mouth jerks upwards. "Let's just say the lower class ones aren't a place to go unarmed. Legally, you aren't supposed to bring a weapon into some of them, but I'd bet there isn't a soul inside without something on 'em."

He's quiet for a moment, contemplating. She gives him his time- in some ways, he's a child, with an entire galaxy full of things he hasn't seen and doesn't understand. And yet, mentally, he's still an adult, and an intelligent one as well.

"The people in these sort of cantina will know about missing Jedi, be interested in finding them, and fork over information for a decent price."

"So we're going in?"

"Hardly. _I'm _going in. One sight of you and we'd have more of the law on our hands than I care to meet in a few lifetimes."

"So I wait."

"Mmm hmm."

"Alone." There was a slight edge to his voice- he hasn't been alone since she found him, naturally. The bounty hunter sighed, turning her chair to face him.

"Has to be, Kenobi. Now you listen to me- anyone starts asking questions, you tell them it's official Jedi business. Understand?" He nods, eyes wide in the rather hauntingly hollow face.

She was at the verge of leaving when he suddenly whispered, "I am afraid."

There was a moment of dead silence inside the small ship, as she turned to look back at him, standing tall but almost trembling. Ventress took one step towards him, noticing the flinch at her movement but ignoring it. "You were the bravest man I've ever known, before all this happened."

Her arms slowly extended, almost of their own accord and took hold of his shoulders. "And you still are."

He laughed, very slightly: nothing more than a 'hmm' and subtle twitch at his lips. "I don't feel very brave."

"And I've never felt very kind. I suppose we're both discovering things about ourselves."

The Jedi nodded and the woman left, taking her… presence with her. He couldn't fully understand, but there was a certain feeling about her, something he can sense. It'd become his comfort, the sole thing convincing him that this was not all some glorious, feverish dream. The Force- it had to do with his status as a Force-user. As a Jedi.

_Jedi should not be afraid._

And yet he was. He could make it through, though. After all, what could possibly happen in the few minutes Asajj was away?

Fortunately, nothing did happen, nor did anything happen while she wandered into the second, or third, or fourth bars. It was the fifth bar where they found trouble. When the door slid quietly open, his first assumption was that she had returned. However, it was someone else who had forced the door, someone who was slipping into the ship and glancing around warily. He froze where he sat, in the co-pilots chair, in the shadows of the cockpit. It was time for him to be brave.

She returned just in time to see all of it. The intruder had stepped towards the cockpit, and he'd turned towards her, a bit of indignation in his eyes. "You're on my ship." His voice was exactly as she remembered it- filled with the calm, the composure, and the buried _rage_ she knew he had.

"You're a Jedi."

"Correct, but irrelevant."

"You're a mess. You get captured by th-"

"Irrelevant. I'm on official Jedi business. I ran into a scrape of trouble, but it's all fine now. Off the ship, if you could."

The intruder was lowering one hand towards her gun holster on her hip. "And what if I'd rather not? You're run down and in bad shape, even for a Jedi."

"Get off my _ship." _ Asajj could feel the very slightest hint of Force persuasion in his voice- did he even realize he was doing that? Either way, she was impressed. With his composure, his use of words… The emotion she saw in his eyes. Yes, fiery Kenobi lived on.

She finished the job for him, leaping onto the thief and pinning her before the woman ever knew what was happening. "You heard the man," she hissed, looking down into frightened eyes. "You will leave, and you will remember nothing of either of us."

"I will leave, and I will remember nothing of either of you." The woman stood up, freed from the former-assassin's grip, and walked calmly out of the ship, wandering off into the streets, looking only a tiny bit disoriented.

It was only after they'd finished watching her go that eye contact was established between the two of them. He was afraid, but the fear was fading as he started to smile. "That was…"

"That was… good. That was very good." Her intense delight with how he'd settled that matter was shining in her face, and she needed to say no more.

"I was going to say terrifying." He stopped speaking for a moment as Asajj wrapped one arm around his shoulders, standing by his side in what was an obvious gesture of approval and affection. "But good...I'm glad you thought it was good."

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**Review, if you could, if only to prove to me that you aren't all gone away forever ;_;  
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**Also, if you're interested, I've got a Tumblr. It's aleatoryw because I'm original that way.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Repeat after me: Tory is an assbutt. Tory needs to stop paying attention to silly things like Supernatural and Hamlet so that she can write this story.**

**Ahem. This chapter is short but has a particularly delightful ending that I expect to gather me in like at least two reviews, ok? **

**Without further ado: HAVE AT IT. I LOVE YOU ALL.**

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They went to sleep not long afterwards, but not before Asajj and Kenobi had another conversation on the way of the world. She pulled up a holo of the universe, pointed out some of the most important solar systems. Honestly, she'd expected him to be satisfied with some of the more grand-scale knowledge, but as they talked, seated on the bed, he began asking about her.

"You're not a Jedi." And gazing at the holos of the universe had given way to this question… how, exactly?

"Mm, no. Not a Jedi. Far from it."

"But I am?"

"Yes; you're one of the best. That's why I thought I would have heard something about your M.I.A. status, but I suppose the Republic, or the Jedi, or both, are trying to cover it up."

"But back to you," Kenobi insisted. "If you're not a Jedi, and you don't work with the Jedi or the Republic, why… why are you even here? I mean…" He paused, attempting to find just the right words so as not to come off as rude. "_What _areyou?"

"A bounty hunter. One of the more civilized ones." A conversation that Asajj didn't particularly want to have was approaching- ominous as a dust-storm rolling in on the horizon. In his ignorant mind, she was good. More than good, she was his _savior. _And if they had the "who are you, why are you here" conversation, she might lose that. Lose his trust, lose his… affection.

He was still silent, watching the holographic star systems twirling lazily in the palm of her hand. "Am I…?" He probed a planet, watching the whole universe set ablaze with motion as a result of his action. "Is there a bounty on my head, then?"

What he really meant, of course, was "Am I here for the money?"And while there were almost certainly bounties on Kenobi's head, and dozens of people who would love to have him, dead or alive, she had begun prying into his situation out of curiosity and, if she were honest, personal interest. Some part of her hoped, deep down, that Kenobi would be declared _missing, assumed dead_ by the Republic, and that he would take his chance to leave the war behind and stay with her. She'd teamed up with him before, and their co-ordination was effortless. He was simply different from anyone else the world had to offer, in a way that no bounty could express.

She lowered her hand, taking the worlds away from his focus so he'd look at her. "You're here because you're special."

She was looking into his eyes now. He certainly enjoyed it, but… something wasn't quite _right. _ There was something he didn't yet understand, or rather, didn't yet know, and the fact that he didn't even know what he didn't know was driving him mad. He grasped her hand and raised it gently, so that the galaxy shone between them again. "It is a great…" he sighed. "Weight, to suddenly become important, you know?"

"You always _were _important. You've suddenly become aware of it. Now you know."

"And I need to know _more." _He'd abruptly dropped her hand and stood, in an attempt to pace. He didn't make it more than a few steps, stopping to lean against the wall and rest his chin in his fingertips and his elbow in his palm, as she was accustomed to seeing him do. "What sort of man _am _I? What was my life like? What do I want? What sort of influence can I have," he gestured towards the holo universe still in her palm, "on the _whole galaxy?_" The systems swirled at his motion, proving to them both that he was starting to be at least a little Force-sensitive.

"I can't answer those questions, Kenobi. Not yet, and not all at once."

"You, then." There was a new resoluteness in his voice. "Who are you? When did we meet? _How? _Have we always been…" _like this? _He finished the question only in his head.

Ventress let out a breath, closed her eyes slightly for a moment, preparing herself mentally. "It's a long story, Jedi. And you won't like it- not all of it, at least."

"Your story?" he made it back to the bed to sit beside her, though a bit closer than he'd been before.

"_Our _story." The correction was almost a low growl. "I suppose I ought to tell you all of it, then." And with only that, she was pouring out the truth, every piece. Her apprenticeship to the Sith, her obsession with fighting him that slowly gave way to a mutual respect and blatant, unashamed flirtation, his encouragement of leaving, her master's betrayal, her decision to go her own way, rescuing him from Maul and Savage, and finally finding him on the Separatist ship. He seemed to accept it- all of it, which made everything so much easier.

"You don't think this…Maul is the one who… you rescued me from?" His tormentor was still a touchy subject.

She shook her head. "Maul wants you dead, immediately and painfully. He wouldn't leave you alone on a ship, or even keep you alive for more than a few hours."

"We'll find him, won't we? Figure out… everything?" At this point she was right next to him- they were practically cuddled together, watching the holo stars twirl in the foreground while the corausant traffic lights raced above, out the windshield.

"My dear, we are going to solve the universe." And that, Ventress would often think upon looking back, was the beginning of their partnership.

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He drifted off to sleep half in her arms, and she left him to the bed, choosing instead to doze lightly in the pilot's seat for a few hours. There was one more cantina she was hoping to investigate in this area before they moved on, and upon waking, she decided to head inside, leaving Kenobi to his sleep.

There was a brown-cloaked man at the end of the bar who sat quietly with his glass, and he was as good a place as any to start her information quest. Asajj sat next to him, her own hood pulled over her face, and ordered herself a drink. The humanoid at her other side, a tall, lizard-looking man with a rough face but wise eyes leaned a bit closer.

"You're not here for the drink. You're in the information market, aren't you?"

"Quite right." She took a swig of her drink, letting the liquid swirl around her dry mouth before swallowing it; it'd been far too long since she'd been in a cantina with decent drinks. "Although I can't say I mind a drink."

He smiled slightly. "What are ya looking for?"

"Anything recent about the Jedi General Obi-wan Kenobi?"

The man shook his head, swirling his own drink contemplatively. "Nothing past a few months back." She gave a dismissive little "hm" before turning nearer to the cloaked man on her right.

She needn't have. He was already leaning towards her, apparently having picked up on the details of her past conversation. "I think _I _can help you there..." he offered quietly.

Ventress swore for a second her heart stopped. The voice was familiar, but it couldn't possibly… how…. She must be imagining…

As he lowered his hood, he added a single word that confirmed her wildest ideas: "...Darling." Beneath the weathered cloak was the blue-eyed, bearded face that was _Obi-wan Kenobi._

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**_are we having fun yet?_**


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